I just returned home last night from the Shop.org Annual Summit where I spoke about how e-commerce retailers could make more money with video “in a week.”  One of the more powerful moments of the presentation was the opening. I asked the 500 or so in attendance the following three questions:

First, “Who believes online video is an effective way to sell products online or persuade shoppers to buy?”

Nearly everyone raised their hand.

Then, “Who is using online video in some fashion today to sell?”

About 3/4 of the audience kept their hands up.

Last, “Who is using online …

I’ve noticed an emerging trend over the last six to twelve months among specialty and mass merchants with regard to manufacturer video.  The discussion over whether video “works” as a product merchandising tool began to shift away from one centered entirely on improving conversion rates.  In fact, as more retailers discovered manufacturer video content available in relative abundance, they began to view video as more than a simple conversion enhancing tool.  Now, some retailers see video as a new source of revenue unto itself.  What’s behind this behavior change?  Nothing other than the almighty co-op dollar.

Manufacturers have long paid …

I am embarking on a project for the VCC – a new whitepaper/research paper focused on the state of retail video in 2009. The focus is on video content as opposed to placement or channel – e.g. what video content “works,” and what doesn’t. In addition, we’ll mostly focus on on-site video as opposed to syndicated video or channel-specific uses of video in e-commerce.

If you’d be willing to contribute to the report by interviewing with me for 15 – 20 minutes, I’d like to learn about what’s working for you, what’s not, etc. You and your company can remain …

I’ve noticed more people asking me about the relative merits of Flash vs. Silverlight for e-commerce video, especially since the release of Silverlight 3.0 in July.  I am not a technical expert on the differences between Flash and Silverlight, so I won’t expose my ignorance here by pretending otherwise.  Besides, a simple Google search reveals no shortage of Flash v. Silverlight comparison reports for the curious.  Smashing Magazine’s writeup is one of the better ones.  Read it here if you’re so inclined.

For most executives in e-commerce, my general read is still that the battle between Flash versus Silverlight comes …